[Former Moji Mitsui Club]

The former Moji Mitsui Club is a Western-style building with an outstanding presence in the Moji Port area, which is lined with buildings that tell a story of history. It was built in 1921 as a social club and hospitality facility for the Moji branch of Mitsui & Co.

After it was transferred to Kitakyushu City in 1990, it was designated as a National Important Cultural Property. The building, which was formerly located in the mountains of Moji-ku, was moved to the Mojiko Retro District, a part of the city that tells the story of the opening of Mojiko Port and the history of the time, right next to the former Moji Branch of Mitsui & Co. in front of Mojiko Station in order to preserve and utilize it.

With the change of ownership of the Moji branch of Mitsui & Co. to the former Japanese National Railways (JNR), the Moji Mitsui Club was also changed to the Mojiko Kaikan of JNR, and the people who used this place changed with the changing times, but the image of the place used as a place to invite guests remains strong, and even today, when one steps into the building, one can feel the atmosphere of a party where foreign cultures mingle Stepping into the building today, one feels a special feeling as if one were invited to a party in a glamorous era when foreign cultures mingled.

It is also known that Einstein and his wife, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics the year after the building was constructed, stayed at the hotel when they visited Japan, and the second floor is the “Einstein Memorial Room,” a restored version of the room where Einstein stayed. Currently, the first floor houses a restaurant and a rental hall, and anyone can visit the museum for free, while the second floor houses the Einstein Memorial Room and a reference room for Fumiko Hayashi, a female writer from Moji-ku, and admission is 150 yen for adults and 70 yen for elementary and junior high school students.

Moji Port, with its trade routes and exotic culture from the constant traffic of passenger ships can be felt everywhere and is lined with gorgeous and dignified buildings that tell a story of prosperity. The former Moji Mitsui Club, with its modern Art Deco design and stained glass windows depicting sailing ships, will give you a sense of Taisho Romanticism. How about looking at the cityscape from inside the building and feeling the mood of the guests of those days as if you have time-traveled back in time?

Mojiko Port and the south coast of Wakamatsu, where you can feel the history of the port town. We hope you will visit us as well as the Wakamatsu Showroom.

Wakamatsu Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/wakamatsu.html
Former Moji Mitsui Club
https://www.mitsuipr.com/sights/spots/014/

References
https://www.japanheritage-kannmon.jp/bunkazai/index.cfm?id=5
https://mojiko-retoro9.jp/spot/former_moji_mitsui_club/